Nigel Farage today defended jetting off to the US for the second time in just over a month as the new Clacton MP said he ‘works seven days a week’.
The Reform UK leader, who was elected to Parliament for the first time on 4 July, is heading to Scottsdale, Arizona, this weekend for a lucrative speaking gig.
It will be the 60-year-old’s second visit to America since entering the House of Commons as his Essex constituency’s representative at Westminster.
Last month, Mr Farage travelled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to meet up with his friend Donald Trump just two weeks after becoming an MP.
He headed across the Atlantic straight after attending the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July.
Some of his new constituents in Clacton were left furious by Mr Farage’s decision to head to America so soon after being elected.
Nigel Farage has defended jetting off to the US for the second time in just over a month as the new Clacton MP said he ‘works seven days a week’
The Reform UK leader, who was elected to Parliament for the first time on 4 July, is heading to Scottsdale, Arizona, this weekend for a lucrative speaking gig
It will be the 60-year-old’s second visit to America since entering the House of Commons as his Essex constituency’s representative at Westminster
The former UKIP leader’s upcoming visit to Scottsdale will see him attend a ‘Keep Arizone Free Summit’ as the keynote speaker on Saturday
The former UKIP leader’s upcoming visit to Scottsdale will see him attend a ‘Keep Arizona Free Summit’ as the keynote speaker on Saturday.
Mr Farage has already earned nearly £12,000 for the speaking engagement, with the five-figure sum paid to him as a deposit.
Speaking to The Mirror, the politician said he had ‘absolutely no idea’ how much his final fee will be and said his staff deal with the ‘admin’.
Defending his trip, Mr Farage told the newspaper: ‘I have previous commitments, contracts I have signed, which I will honour, because I am not the sort of person who lets people down otherwise you get a terrible reputation.
‘They advertised the fact I was coming a long, long time ago. So, number one, I don’t breach things that I have previously agreed to. Number two, unlike everybody else I work seven days a week.’
He added: ‘I shall be in Clacton all day tomorrow, I shall be in Clacton all day Thursday, I will leave Clacton at midnight on Thursday and getting an early flight on Friday.
‘I’m there [Clacton] a couple of days a week which is about as much as most MPs, I would have thought.
‘At the moment I’m not living there but that takes a bit of time and that’s in the process, as we speak.’
Mr Farage said he had ‘a couple’ of other speaking engagements booked, and nothing ‘firm’ booked beyond the end of the year.
His register of interests as an MP, published last week, revealed he had been paid an £11,783.55 deposit by the AZ Liberty Network for the Scottsdale meeting.
It also revealed a £98,000 payment for his work at GB News, and £16,500 earned for recording personalised videos via the Cameo website.
Mr Farage also receives a salary of £91,346 a year as an MP.
Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, who was Labour’s candidate in Clacton at last month’s general election, said Mr Farage’s latest trip to the US was ‘deeply frustrating and infuriating’.
He told the newspaper: ‘We spoke to many people on the doorstep, and it was clear that people wanted an active and dedicated MP.
‘Whilst he claims record amounts of money, people are still struggling with their cost-of-living during holiday time, proving his commitment has always been to himself rather than those who sent him to serve.’